oakum
- loose fiber obtained by untwisting and picking apart old ropes, used for caulking the seams of ships.
Origin of oakum
Examples from the Web for oakum
Historical Examples of oakum
Jack dipped the oakum in the slush-bucket which hung against the main-mast.
One of them oakum eaters, that s what he was—an oakum eater.
Fair HarborJoseph Crosby Lincoln
When he was home from sea he and I stuck together like hot pitch and oakum.
The PortygeeJoseph Crosby Lincoln
Ef she's spewed her oakum he'd better git to his pumps mighty quick.
"Captains Courageous"Rudyard Kipling
"Dead sore on oakum as a food," laughed Dan, grinning broadly.
The Grammar School Boys of GridleyH. Irving Hancock
oakum
- loose fibre obtained by unravelling old rope, used esp for caulking seams in wooden ships
Word Origin for oakum
Word Origin and History for oakum
"loose fiber obtained from taking apart old hemp ropes," early 15c., from Old English acumba "tow, oakum, flax fibers separated by combing," literally "what is combed out," from Proto-Germanic *us-kambon (cf. Old High German achambi); first element cognate with Old English a- "away, out, off;" second element from stem of cemban "to comb," from camb "a comb;" from PIE *gembh- "tooth, nail" (see comb (n.)).